Running. Dogs.

Running. Tuesday and Saturday I ran the same six mile route that has a fair number of inclines, mostly at the end. Tuesday I approached the run as if it were a trial race and ran it at an 8:35 pace. Today I just creaked along the first mile and worked my way up to a comfortable quick step gait. The pace today was 8:27. Go figure.
I've done four 10Ks over the last four years which isn't many. The PR to beat at next weekend's race at Disney is 52:59. The goal in my head is 51:30 but I think I can do even better.
Wednesday was an easy 4 miles. Thursday I did speed work averaging 6:56/miles while doing 800s, 400s, 200s and strides.
Dogs. Today I was the parent not selected by son C. to go to an admissions candidate orientation at the local college that happens to be ranked the #1 college in the southeast by US News and World Report. That left me, by default, with having to take our alpha male terrier to dog training school. Mind you, that the training is supposed to be for the dog but inevitably it's about training the owner/handler on how to be the alpha human who is in control. My tendency has always been to be the "do what you want-you're a dog" owner which undoes everything a more discipline minded dog owner tries to maintain. So my going to doggie school was more for my education. And did I get one!
The trainer who usually shows up didn't. A substitute did. And Ashleigh was a hard driving woman. At first I didn't like her. She was 30 minutes late which allowed Nicky a chance to salivate over a little puff of a dog that he saw as lunch. A few lunges and he had the dog's head in his mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry."
Ashley pulls in with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth talking a mile a minute about her new dog she's training for police work. She's only had him four days and she's got that all male Belgian something-or-another minding her like George H. W. minds Barbara. She proved it to us too.
She eyed the eight dogs in class and asked each of us what our dogs needed for training. She didn't even have to ask me because Nicky was in attack posture staring straight at Puff Ball. She said, "Okay. We're going to have some fun with him." which actually meant both of us.
By lesson's end Nicky had the drill down pretty well: Attack Puff Ball = Alpha Rollover, which only had to happen once before he adopted a better attitude. Here's what happened: Ashleigh took him from me and let him approach Puff Ball. He was up on his hind legs, stretching the leash, snarling and trying to do the death dive. She yanked his chain so hard to the ground he was yelping like a baby. Then she made him sit, lie down and roll over right next to Puff Ball (with dominating physical force) which humiliated Nicky to no end. Then she sat on him. Then she had me sit on him. From there I did everything Ashleigh told me for fear she might pull the Alpha Rollover on me.
Nicky is well trained now. So am I.